Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has finally made some progress with the long-awaited project that aims to link Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the Central Business District (CBD). The Corporation, which began construction last year, has reached the final stages in the tender process.

According to the Corporate Affairs Department at the KRC, the railway is still under a great deal of procedural scrutiny but paper-work is about 80% complete. The Corporation plans to set an official launch date later this year.

The project will include the extension of a railway line from Syokimau Railway Station to JKIA. The KRC reports that the new line will provide affordable commuter transport between the airport and the CBD. According to the Corporation, the new system will ensure that travelling by train will only take only 20 minutes between the two locations, as opposed to the current 90 minutes that people spend on the road.

Syokimau Station, which is due for completion later this year, will cost taxpayers about KES 400 million. This includes the rehabilitation of 14.4 Kilometers of railway lines running in and around the Nairobi and Embakasi area. The KRC said that the official cost of the current project, which calls for the construction of a 6 Kilometer line has not yet been established. Speaking during a telephone interview with Pesatalk, KRC Communications Officers noted that the initiative will ease congestion along Mombasa Road as well as de-congest Uhuru Highway.

This comes shortly after the Corporation unveiled plans for the construction of a modern Standard Gauge railway system. This system will see freight trains running as fast as 120 Kilometers per hour and passenger locomotives hitting speeds of 180 Kilometers per hour. Current railway speeds stand at 30 Kilometers per hour.